View Essex Business Forum Members

Our membership represents the very best of local business. Our vetting process is thorough; each member must come highly recommended, and remain so by delivering continually outstanding work for members, their contacts, clients and friends.

View Essex Business Forum Members

Our membership represents the very best of local business. Our vetting process is thorough; each member must come highly recommended, and remain so by delivering continually outstanding work for members, their contacts, clients and friends.

This week saw the culmination of the hard work put in by the current recruitment team of Jill Willis, Matt Barry and Tina Walker.

The following is in need of acknowledgement and congratulation:

9 visitors presented themselves to the meeting.

Jo Eastwood and Steve Roach on door duty presented me with a visitor sign in sheet with 9 names that I could read.

The staff at Mary Green Manor sorted us out an extras table and generally were helpful in accommodating our substantially increased numbers, 29 members and 9 visitors is a record number of people in attendance at Mary Green Manor

The whole group for their magnificent response in putting on “a good show” for the visitors.

To assist in follow up:

Could everyone who spoke to a visitor and has any useful feedback communicate this to Jill, Matt or Tina so that if any further chasing is needed for next week this can be done.

New Member Induction

John Freeman was inducted as our newest member; welcome John. This will be the last time I say anything nice about you in this Blog which will be a sign that you have been fully integrated into the fold.

The 60 Second Round

Maybe it was the numbers of visitors and the number of people listening that made members reveal some strange things.

Nikhil Shah confessed a feeling like Dr Who. He has even gone one stage further and recruited someone who he also thinks of as Dr Who. Any further comment I feel would be futile.

Dimi Bakalov managed to confuse me by talking about “a quick stare”. When I realised he meant “stair” it still did not help. Maybe I should sign up for one of Jo Jones’ boot camps which apparently helps your mental health.

Donna Evans declared herself “…not the most patient person in the world…”

Many of us confined ourselves to giving a summary of the work we did for the supposed benefit of the visitors. Alan Shaw once again opened his presentation confirming that he designed buildings, he then went on to describe other things that he did. Although we were all doling this sort of thing it’s always a surprise when it comes from Alan.

Lee Scarff was very proud of his new cards and we should all take two, just to make sure we have both sides available at the same time.

Terry Maylin managed to give a flavour to the visitors of the metaphorical kicking that he gives recalcitrant debtors on behalf of clients.

It fell to David Plumley, Brian Painter and Kevin Radford to tantalise us. David Plumley produced a prop, to wit a small box that would transfer data from one computer to another. It was called the small box that will transfer data from one computer to another. The IT Industry has never tried to be interesting per se.

Brian Painter is looking to reconstruct a ladies memory of a night out 4 years ago. Because he has not seen her yet all and anything is possible. It is hoped that this single ongoing saga will attract visitors back.

Kevin Radford crafted his usual piece of verse that was well received but he really only made his presence properly felt when he talked about wearing budgie smugglers. It even out did Michael Adelizzi who talked of getting ones “leg over” in the bath becoming more difficult as one gets older. A new School of Whimsy seems to be coming to the fore.

More of that next week, but it came as no surprise that Kevin Radford won the Oscar which I hope was for his poetry but I suspect was for the budgie smugglers.

10 minute presentation by Scott Griffiths

This week the 10 minute presentation was ceded to Scott Griffiths giving him an opportunity to give an explanation to the visitors of the workings of EBF. I think they were impressed with his “snake of referrals”. They may later reflect that it demonstrates a rather sad mentality but at the time it went down very well. He is to be commended for providing storage for all the old referrals slips. It was a very effective introduction to the visitors.

I definitely think there is some mileage in the EBF branded budgie smugglers as Scott’s picture proved .I did see Donna looking me up and down. Perhaps she was trying to work out how she could fit me with an all round curtaining to hide those budgie smugglers. Nikhal how will you know who’s who ?
Great meeting this morning and well done to the organisers .

Thanks Jill, Matt and Tina for your efforts into todays event, thats well and truly thrown down the gauntlet to the future teams. Congratulations too to John on becoming a member, even if your not looking for any work!, i won’t see you all next week but have a great weekend anyway, cheers Alan

Well done to the visitors team and to the members who brought visitors. Normally our conversion rate is not too good but the speakers, official and non official, give me a good feeling that at least four will become members.

Thankyou everyone once again for accepting me into the group, genuine people with genuine interest in those around them, and their business.
HOWEVER, insurance broker in smugglers!!! Come on lol
As I have said, my books are full for the next 2 months, but I can always squeeze in an emergency if any of you are in need.
Thanks to Tina, Jill & Matt showing me the way on how to increase the members count, I’m learning something new every week from you guys, I just wish I had a little more time at my desk to absorb more.
The great thing is, you have all been around for a long time, and I’m sure and hope to be around with you all for years to come.
The snake (nothing to do with the smuggler reference) excited me too!
And before anyone gets any ideas who was no present today, or more to the point was present today, the snake is a string of referral notes totalling a mind-boggling amount of business passed between members over the last 4 years or so.

Essex Business Forum is an association of professional business people and owners of established and reputable SMEs based in Essex which represents every trade and profession, and with the addition of an extended network of businesses in highly specialist fields.

We run weekly business networking groups every Thursday morning in Brentwood, plus other regular events and networking meetings.

We're always looking for new members to join, so if you are interested then come along to one of our meetings.